Jevon Newman

Jevon Newman was an extraordinary, exuberant and irrepressible man who tragically died early Sunday morning, July 8, 2012 as a consequence of a bike/motor vehicle accident. No words can capture just how wonderful this talented, witty, intelligent, incisive, and multifaceted beloved man was during his 30 years of life. He is one who truly LIVED his life with passion and exuberance. He gave so much to others. His cousin, Liam wrote in memory of him: "I think his hugs gave me the best understanding of what he had to teach me. His hugs were the best hugs of any hugs I have ever had....I think everybody had fun with him, but I don't know if everybody got to see how deep he was, and how strong he was, and how loving he was (his family certainly did because family was one of the things he told me was most important to him). When I take time to think about his hugs I also realize that those things - strength, warmth and thoughtfulness - were at the core of his personality. I think that those qualities were so deeply rooted that they gave him one of the strongest personalities of anybody I have ever met." Jevon was passionate about everything he did, and he tackled life in a headlong fashion, often bumping heads with others and inadvertently running into obstacles, but he remained undaunted and indomitable throughout his life. He never took life at a slow pace, enjoying and thriving on the adventure of being. His athleticism ranged from getting his bossy yaya's out as a coxswain to enjoying the adrenaline rush of kite surfing. His favored means of transportation and exercise was bicycle riding, with skateboarding being a close second. He was an environmentalist in the deepest sense: always using stairs instead of elevators, bikes instead of cars, reusing every possible thing that could be reused, reading books from the library. He became to proud owner of several hectares of rainforest in Ecuador to protect it from deforestation. Jev's greatest burning desire was to give back to society and mankind through the practice of medicine. He graduated from Medical School at University College Dublin in Ireland in June of this year, less than a week before his thirtieth birthday and had just moved to Little Rock, Ark. to start his residency in Emergency Medicine, an area of expertise in which he had extensive experience as a volunteer in Ecuador and as an EMT in Milwaukee before starting his formal medical education. In the last weeks of his life, he was happier than he had ever been, setting up housekeeping, planning to buy a home, meeting and really liking his new colleagues and mentors at UAMS Emergency Department residency training program and starting the work of a resident physician. Jevon's cousin, Eileen, who is currently a medical student, writes this about him: "From the people I have met in hospital, and otherwise, who are dying, it seems they share common regrets of wishing they'd worked less, or wishing they'd done more crazy things...streaked, sky-dived, travelled a trillion places, worked in a 3rd world country, studied abroad, had lots of pretty girlfriends, cycled 160 miles to Cork instead of just getting the train. Although Jevon worked very hard for the past 5 years (and I'm sure he would have continued doing so during his residency), he always did fun stuff. Always did crazy stuff, and stuff that people will actually remember (the important stuff)....and be cheered up for remembering. So, I think he was one of the rare few who didn't share that common regret of not living life for happiness and to its fullest." The depth of sorrow and sense of loss being felt by all his family, friends and colleagues cannot be expressed in words. Our request for all is that they reach out to their own loved ones and hug them mightily, for we never know when someone we cherish will be ripped away from us forever. A Facebook open page that has been started for Jevon called "We Love Jevon" can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/WeLoveJevon. Please see this site for suggested funds or organizations to which contributions can be made in Jevon's memory and honor. Two areas that were of special importance for Jevon were 1. Improving health care services for the rural poor in Ecuador, 2. Bicycling safety and accessibility. This page will be updated as new plans commemorating Jevon's Life emerge. A Facebook Group is at: http://bit.ly/WeLoveJevon. This is an open venue for all who can get in to Facebook to share their thoughts, photos, memories, and love of Jevon. A flicker album has been started with photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/82242622@N05/, and Jevon's own Facebook site has many photos: http://www.facebook.com/jevon.newman. A memorial gathering for Jevon is being planned for Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012 in the Philadelphia, Pa. area. Everyone is welcome to join us in celebrating Jevon's life on that occasion. If you are interested in attending, please contact Jon Evans (a cousin) at (610) 558-4686 (home) or (610) 717-8145, or jwevans1260@comcast.net.